The Adels-Part 1

Tales of the TawsheThe Adels-Part 1   Tears were streaming down Adel's face as she ran out of the meeting house. It hurt to hear people say that Grandmother's abduction was her fault. She hadn't told that scary Blackheart person about Grandmother's special gift. Sure, she had told the other traveller from the time before, but she hadn't told anyone since then — after Burton had told her not to. I should run away she thought as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked out across the harbour and the breakwater to the sea beyond. The thought of travelling across the sea scared her, as did any thought of leaving the village, but all morning there had been something inside her, urging her to do something different.A flash of white from off shore caught her attention. A small boat was out there. It wasn't one from the village, all their fishing boat were in the harbour, their crews attending the village meeting, and anyway, this craft was too small to be a fishing boat. She straightened her shoulders, wiped more tears away and headed back into the meeting house. She had to inform Burton that someone else was coming.   Bray, saw the village because of the rainbow. He was watching for a place to make repairs to his failing boat. Settlements along the north shore of the South Lake were rare. Huge limestone and dolomite cliffs that rose dramatically straight out of the water lined this part of the coast. A stretch of beach where a small craft could be pulled up was extremely rare, finding a harbour and a village was almost unheard of, but there it was.   Bray maneuvered the oar he was using as a tiller, a very poor tiller he would have admitted if asked, and directed the small sailboat out of the wind until the sail sagged. Quickly he unlashed the rope securing the sail, dropped it, and sprang forward to secure it to the cross beam. Then, he carefully untied his makeshift tiller. It would have been inconvenient to lose the oar over the side and have to fish it out again, inconvenient and embarrassing. He could live without that. He was certain of two things; he had little skill where sailing was concerned, and he was being watched from the shore. Villages that don't keep watch don't survive, then again, there were far fewer raiders and pirates around since the battle at Waysley. He tried to look semi-professional as he fitted his oars into place, settled himself, and started rowing for the harbour's entrance.   The swells seemed larger as he neared the mouth of the harbour. Their action attempted to throw the stern of the boat first one way and then the other. He had to fight to keep in the centre of the narrow entrance, but once inside the harbour the water grew calm. He rowed the rest of the way to a sheltered wharf. Looking around as he went.   There was a short area of beach beside the wharf where he supposed boats in need of repair could be pulled up. The wharf itself was made of timbers stretched between piles of large boulders, and topped with rough cut lumber. It wasn't very long, maybe the length of two of the larger fishing boats currently bobbing on the smooth water.   There were five boats in the harbour. Considering that the sun was only a quarter of the way up the sky he was surprised to see so many boats at anchor. Common sense told him that they should still be out fishing, most of them at least. If one or two had been lucky with an early, substantial, catch they might be back to unload, but not this many. Fishing villages were never that profitable, although this one did look well-tended.   The village itself was made up of maybe thirty small buildings sitting on a narrow rock shelf that jutted out from the base of the cliff. As he drew closer to the wharf, he saw that the shelf was only wide enough to handle a single row of the houses, which were stretched out on both sides of a small stream that seemed to flow from the cliff face. It emptied into a central well-like structure, and then continued out through a channel in the front. The village water supply he supposed.  Some distance above the stream more water exited the cliff face in a fine spray that sparkled in the morning sunlight — the source of the rainbow that had caught his attention.Most of the buildings looked like houses, although he identified a bakery and a smithy located close to the water supply. The final building on his right was larger than the others, and the only people in evidence appeared to be clustered around it. A meeting place he assumed by the size and appearance, with a meeting in progress.    No one was on the wharf, but he was able to tie up without problem. With both ropes tied off, and his belongings thrown onto the wharf's plank surface, he was tidying the excess of his ropes when he noticed a figure break away from the group of villagers and run towards the pier. Bray was finished with his ropes and standing easily when the runner arrived.The way the figure ran, its build, and its haste informed Bray, well before it arrived, that this was a youth. He identified the runner as a young girl when she arrived. He estimated her age at twelve cycles. Her tunic was worn. Her legs were long and thin, and her chest was undeveloped, but her face brought a smile to his lips. Her body might not have developed yet, but her face had left the little girl behind, and formed into the beauty of a young woman, with a straight nose above a slightly sensuous mouth, full of straight white teeth. Intelligence was obvious in the large blue eyes which were currently appraising him. Bray added more cycles to his age estimate, a woman in a girl's body, he thought.   "Welcome to Rainbow, stranger," were the first words she spoke. "Our head man is dealing with a disappearance. He bids you to wait by the city well until he is free. I am to take you there and wait with you . . . and offer you hospitality."   She suddenly blushed and stammered, "In the form of food and drink of course."   "I would appreciate the hospitality in whatever form it takes," he responded with a smile. She blushed, but answered his smile with one of her own.   Bray picked up his pack, slipped it onto his back, and then picked up his weapons which were rolled in a waterproof, sealskin package. The young woman looked questioningly at that package, but didn’t say anything about it. In a larger town Bray would have taken the time to fasten his weapons about his person before continuing, but he didn't see the need here. His sword, knives, quiver, and bow may not be readily at hand, but he could still protect himself against anyone or anything he was likely to meet here, after all he was a trained Tawshe warrior.   As they neared the end of the wharf he asked his guide about the disappearance.   "Grandmother Adel is missing," the girl answered.    "If it is your Grandmother who is missing you probably want to be with your family. I can wait for the Headman alone if you want to go."   "She isn't my true Grandmother, that is just how people refer to her because she is older than everyone else, way older than everyone else. My true grandmother says Adel was old when she was still a girl."   "Could she have wandered off," Bray asked although he didn't see how that could happen. He didn't see a path leading away from the village, in fact, the only obvious path appeared to lead to the mouth of a cave located beside where the stream exited the base of the cliff.   They had arrived at the city well where Bray found a number of large boulders positioned for socializing.   "If you will wait here I will attend to some refreshments," the girl informed him.    He nodded his agreement, and she strolled away to a house three down from the stream. Bray located a large bolder that would serve as a seat and a table, dropped his pack, sat down and looked around. An oven in front of one building identified the bakery, and a kiln identified a potter’s. Each was a combination dwelling, both workshop and home. The smithy's shop appeared to be a separate building. The villagers were still all milling around by the large building. It was easily the biggest of all the structures, but the construction method looked to be the same. All the buildings had stone walls which seemed to be built without the use of mortar. Frames for windows and doors were rough cut timbers as were the roof supports he could see. Doors were also made of wood while windows were covered loosely with animal skins. The construction indicated that this village had been here for many years, three or four generations Bray guessed.***   As Adel prepared food for the stranger she was able to watch him from her window. She found him pleasant to look upon. He was at least a head taller than her. The sleeveless leather jerkin he wore was stretched tight across a broad chest, and his arms were well muscled. Adel had noticed scares on them earlier. His face was what drew her attention. In her limited experience she would consider him to be handsome; in fact he looked exactly like the hero of her fantasies, longish blond hair, beardless, square jawed, deep blue eyes, and a smile that made her knees go weak. She took a deep breath that shuddered a little bit when she inhaled. He also seemed nicer than the other three visitors from a few days ago. They had made her shudder in a different way although their leader had also been handsome, but his eyes and his smile had been cold.***   Bray saw the young girl reappear from the doorway she had entered, and make her way carefully to where he was sitting. She carried a loaf of bread tucked under one arm. In her hands she held a wooden platter containing dried fish and two mugs. Bray helped her unload the items to his stone table.   She pulled her eating blade from its sheath at her waist. As she cut pieces of fish and bread Bray gathered both cups and obtained water from the well.   "My name is Bray," he offered.   "And my name is Adel," she responded as she handed him a pieces of fish and bread.   "Adel seems to be a popular name here. Didn’t you say the missing woman was named Adel also?”   "We are both named Adel because we both have the gift of —" she bit off her words. “Yes”, she finished abruptly before proceeding to eat.   Bray followed her example. The food was tasty. The fish was spiced and the bread was fresh. They ate in silence until the portions she had cut were gone. Bray declined her offer for more. Food had been shared; the village had met its obligation to a visitor, custom dictated that he only eat a little no matter how hungry he was.   "What gift do you and Grandmother Adel possess?" he asked when their food was finished.   The expression on her face changed. Her brow wrinkled slightly. Her eye lids dropped minutely. A normal observer might not have noticed the change. ***   Adel was torn. She wanted to answer him. He seemed very nice, and she trusted him, but she had been warned about telling strangers about this. Still, she told herself, she had to be sociable to a guest. Custom told her so, and anyway, she knew this young man was trustworthy. She could feel it.   "We are both known to the little people," she admitted a little reluctantly as if expecting him to draw away, or meet her statement with laughter.   "The little people you say. How interesting. What types of little people exist around here?"   Looking relieved, Adel, instead of answering his question asked one of her own. "How many different kinds are there?"   "There are quite a few actually. I was taught that they are all different types of faeries. We have Hobs and Brownies where I grew up. I once saw Nymphs on Maidensland Island, and I have been told that there are Water Sprites in the delta of the Lazy River around Marshtown, but I've never seen them. I have also never seen Far Darrig, Clurichauns or Leprechauns, but I am sure they all exist, and probably many more that I have never heard of. So, what kind do you have around here?"   "I believe they are Leprechauns, or at least I heard someone call them that once. Our villagers refer to them as little people. I have only seen them thrice."   "What did they look like?"   "Helooked like an old man with a long beard. At first that is what I thought he was, but then I realized he was much closer than I thought, and therefore was much smaller also. He was about the size of my brother who was eight cycles old at the time. He was dressed in green pants and shirt, a red coat, and a red cap. Does that sound like a Leprechaun to you?"   "It sounds like either a Leprechaun or a Far Darrig, but it is hard to tell because of the colour of the clothing. Leprechauns usually dress in green while Far Darrigs always wear red coats and caps. You will have to ask the next time you meet one."   "I don't want to —" Adel started to say before she was interrupted by the arrival of two men.   "Hello, is there something we can do for you, stranger?"   Bray had been watching the men approach. The man leading was large with a barrel chest, thick neck, and substantial arms. He sported a large bristly beard on a weathered face. The second man was smaller and older, but he also looked well acquainted with hard work and sunshine. Bray stood when the larger man spoke.   "I certainly hope so, sir. My boat's rudder snapped on me two days ago during a storm. I was hoping I could find a replacement here."   "I thought it might be something like that, so I brought our wood smith with me." He indicated the second, older, smaller man. This is Tad. My name is Burton. I am the village leader."   Bray introduced himself and shook hands. Both men's hands were strong with sure grips although Tad's were bent slightly when he relaxed them. Bray wondered if it was the results of shaping the wood or age.   'Why don't we take a look at your boat, and see if we can help."   When Bray made to pick up his packs, Adel spoke up.   "I can watch that for you," she offered.   Bray handed her his backpack, but kept his other package with him. This action wasn't missed by Burton or Tad.   "Thank you, Adel. I appreciate it," Bray said and then followed the two men towards the wharf.   As they walked Burton nodded at Bray's weapons in their sealskin wrapping, "Fighting man I take it."   "I have fought, but I’m not a soldier if that is what you mean. I'm just a wanderer."   "How do you make a living?" Tad asked.   "Doing any work I can find. I’m happy to trade labour for food, lodgings, or whatever else I need."   They arrived at Bray's boat. Tad stepped down into it warily. Bray didn't blame him. The boat was old and worn. There was water in the bottom. He had traded five days of wood chopping for it because he had been tired of walking.  It had started leaking the second day out, not enough to make him worry, or at least not worry a lot. It didn't take Tad long to make an evaluation.    "This boat will need re-chalking as well," he stated. "I can fix you a new rudder. I have the necessary wood. How will you be paying?"   "I was hoping there was some work you might need help with," Bray answered.   Burton took over the bartering as they walked back towards the well. "If you are any good with those weapons there is something you might be able to do for us. An old woman who is very important to our village has disappeared. There were three men here for the last two days, but they were also gone this morning. We think they have taken her."   "Why do you think they took her, as opposed to her having wandered off?"   "Grandmother Adel would not wander off. She is old, but she has all her faculties. There was also a suggestion of something not right in her home; nothing was broken, there wasn't a mess or anything, but her walking stick was still in the house, and she wouldn't go anywhere without it. Also, the only exit from the village is through the cave that leads to the top of the cliff. It is too difficult a climb for her these days."   "Why would three men take an old woman away from her home? That is what I’m having trouble understanding."   When Burton didn't answer Bray tried a different question. "Young Adel told me that she and Grandmother Adel shared a gift. Does that have something to do with your theory?"   "Negotiating with the little people is the gift that the Adels share, Burton admitted reluctantly. Young Adel has been warned about idle talk on this subject, but she cannot seem to understand that all people are not to be trusted. She mentioned it to a stranger who stopped here a few moons ago, and then these latest visitors seemed to already know it. They were asking questions about Leprechaun gold almost right from the start. I am surprised Adel mentioned it to you. I scolded her last time, and some other people have already blamed her vehemently for Grandmother's disappearance.    "We need someone to go after the men and get Grandmother back. We can send two men with you, but this is a fishing village. Those men were armed while we have only a few men who can handle a sword and a few bows for hunting when —"   Burton was interrupted by what sounded like a vicious animal fight coming from the top of the cliffs above the village. Brays mind catalogued the sound as canine, dog maybe, or wolf, but whatever it was, it was angry.* * *   At the top of the cliff, Wolf Blackheart stood with the old woman lying in the dirt at his feet. He had carried her draped over one massive shoulder for the whole trip through the caves. This was not a problem for a man with his enormous strength, although the closeness of the cave had been problematic in places. Her hands and feet were tied, so she had to be carried. She was gaged and drugged as well. Wolf Blackheart was a very careful man. He planned everything to the last detail. His attention to detail was what had allowed him to succeed in every twisted scheme of theft and deception he attempted, even when killing was required.   It was his obsession for careful planning that kept the old woman drugged, tied, and gaged. He didn't know what other powers she might possess, and there was no reason to let her speak or make unnecessary movements.  He had once seen a Wizard pluck a knife from another man's sheath and plunge it into the man's throat with nothing more than a casual gesture of his hand. Wolf Blackheart took no chances, even with old women, but especially women with strange magic-like abilities.    The dog attacked his men's spears again, as they tried to force it to the back of the cage. Its ferociousness surprised him. A week ago, when he had locked the dog into the cage it had been nothing more than an overly-large, mangy, mastiff.  Now, after a week with little food, and continuous tortured from jabbing spears, the animal was completely mad. When he had returned with the old woman, he had set his men to moving the dog's cage into position. One man had gotten too close and the dog had torn his arm off. Unable to stop the bleeding, Wolf had killed the fool. Now, after this venture he would have to recruit someone else to take his place. Maybe he would try to get someone just a little smarter this time. It might save him some work over the long term.   The men had finally managing to muscle the cage into position at the mouth of the cave. Wolf smiled. He wished he could witness the look on the villagers faces when they came across the dog in the cave, well, if he was lucky he might hear their screams, but that would depend on how soon they sent someone after him, and how soon his men got the cage positioned, which was taking longer than it should. He yelled at the men to motivate them.This end of the cave was accessed from a small gully that water had eroded out of the earth over the years. The gully was as deep as he was tall, but only slightly wider than his shoulder span. In some places it was even tighter, and his men had to chip away at the walls in those places to get the cage through. Once in place, the cage would effectively seal this entrance until the villagers managed to get some tools up here to dismantle it. That and meeting the dog in the cave was going to stall any pursuit for days, he hoped.A man couldn’t make it through the openings in the cage. They were too small. The end wall of the cage would have to be broken by a smithy, and the narrowness of the cage would make it difficult to swing a hammer properly in the same way the narrowness of the cave would make it difficult to swing a sword.  Whoever met the dog in the cave was going to be sorely surprised.His men finally got the cage into position. One of the new recruits coiled up the rope that was tied to the top of the removable cage door, and threw it up to Kent who had positioned himself above the cave entrance. Kent took up the slack on the rope, and then with a quick hand over hand motion pulled the cage front up and away. The men with the spears backed away from the cage. The dog watched them warily for a few minutes without moving.“Use the spears to push him back,” Wolf roared. “We don’t have all day.”Two of the men started towards the dog with their spears raised, the dog backed away from them until it was out of the cage and into the cave. It continued to back away until it was lost in the blackness within, then with a growl it was gone. Wolf smiled again. The cave had barely been wide enough for the dog to turn around. A perfect plan he thought to himself. Now, let’s get that gold. “Get the cage moved up tight to the entrance and make sure it is under the overhang,” he yelled at his men again. He picked up the old woman and carried her over to the cart.* * *Bray removed his weapons from the sealskin. He had eaten a meal with Burton and the two men who would be travelling with him. He would have preferred to undertake the search on his own, but Burton had insisted that he take Ramos and Gerard along. Bray wasn’t sure why, but the men seemed dependable, and a couple of extra swords could always come in handy. Ramos and Gerard had gone to get their packs and supplies while Bray prepared his.He removed his sword from its scabbard. It moved smoothly and there was no evidence of rust on the blade. Next he checked his Nadian knives, not that he expected any problem with those blades. Nadian made blades were the best that there were. Bray’s knives had been made by a Nadian master craftsman under contract to the royal house. His father had given them to him on his fifth birthday as swords — hence their small size.  Bray used them to kill his first man at the age of eight. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been enough to save his father’s life. He had also used them to avenge his father many years later. The knives rode horizontally on his lower back in a special dual scabbard designed by his old teacher. He slipped the scabbard around his waist and tightened the attached belt. With the knives sitting comfortably, he attached his sword scabbard to his belt, and then considered his bow and quiver. The bow he would have to carry in a hand while he was wearing his backpack, but he attached the quiver to the side of the pack with rawhide strips. The arrows were not readily available in that configuration, but leaving them behind was not an option.Bray looked for Adel, but she wasn’t around. She had slipped away when the meal had been served, and had not returned. Bray wanted to say goodbye to her, and thank her for the hospitality, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen because Ramos and Gerard were making their way towards him along with Burton. “Will you thank Adel for her hospitality, Burton? I didn’t get a chance earlier.”“It will be my pleasure, Bray. Good luck on the hunt to all of you,” Burton concluded.***Adel, watching from the mouth of the cave saw the men shoulder their packs and head towards her. She slipped deeper into the darkness of the cave. Her plan was to stay ahead of them until they reached the hilltop, hide herself in the trees, and then follow them through the woods until they made camp. By then, it would be too late to send her back. They would have to let her go along. The idea of leaving the village terrified her, but something stronger was urged her to go.***There wasn’t any conversation between the men as they traversed the cave. Ramos led the way with Gerard behind him and Bray at the rear. The villagers were thinking about what might lay ahead of them, and trying to remember the lessons they had received about using a sword. Bray was listening carefully. He thought he had heard a sound ahead of them some time before, but he wasn’t sure. Although Ramos and Gerard were not talking, their passage through the cave was noisy. They brushed against the walls in the narrower places. Their swords brushed rocks and walls almost constantly. If there was something ahead of them in the cave it was doing a much better job of moving silently.Most of the cave they traversed was like a narrow tunnel. In places it widened into galleries, branched off into other channels, and in two places it had been joined by a stream that appeared from and disappeared back into the cave’s wall.After some time, Gerard pointed to a mark scratched in the wall and informed Bray, “Half way.” The mark was barely visible in the pale glow that emanated from the walls. Bray had expected to have to use torches for light, but the walls gave off a weak luminance that made it possible to see without the use of fire. Bray had asked about it, but his companions had no answers.They had travelled perhaps half as far again from the half-way mark when Ramos stopped suddenly. Ahead of them, where the cave curved to the left they saw the back of a person stepping out of the gloom. It was a woman and she was moving slowly and softly backwards towards them. Although he couldn’t see her face, Bray could tell by her posture that she was terrified. He dropped his pack silently to the ground. He was going to string his bow, but there wasn’t time as an echoing roar sounded ahead of him. The young woman spun around and ran towards them, as a huge, wild looking dog sprang into view. Its eyes were red rimmed and full of hate. There was blood on its chest and saliva dripped from its jaws. The cave was too narrow for swords, so Bray grabbed his knives as he screamed “down!” to those in front of him. The dog sprang. The young woman, who Bray had recognized as Adel, fell to the ground and curled into a ball. The beast’s leap carried it over her. Directly ahead of Bray, Gerard had dropped face down to the ground. Ramos tried to pull his sword, couldn’t, and at the last moment tried to turn away. The dog’s jaws clamped onto his shoulder. Bray heard the sound of bones breaking and flesh being torn as he ran along Gerard’s back and slashed a knife downward across the dog’s face, barely missing Ramos’s head. The dog released his hold with a howl of pain. Ramos crumbled to the ground. Bray sprang forward; both knives flashed in short arcs, too fast to follow. The dog opened its mouth to scream its anger. Bray drove a knife up from under the jaw into its brain. The dog collapsed. Bray’s second knife went in through an eye, followed by a circular movement that maximized damage — habit more than necessity.He withdrew both knives, cleaned them on the beast’s coat, and returned them to their scabbard before he turned to Ramos. Gerard was already attending to him, so Bray turned his attention to Adel who remained curled in a ball on the cave floor. She flinched when he laid a hand on her shoulder.“It is alright, girl. The beast is dead. You are safe, but what are you doing here?”“I have to go with you,” Adel said as she climbed back to her feet.“You have to go, why?”“I don’t know why, I just have to. There is a compulsion on me that I don’t understand,” Adel admitted.Bray didn’t question her about it, but rather turned to examine Ramos’s injuries. It didn’t take long to realize that he would have to be returned to the village. Gerard was of the opinion that Adel should take him, but she was physically unable to support him, so the task fell to Gerard.“You should accompany them, Adel,” Bray suggested, but she refused.“I have a part to play in finding Grandmother. I can feel it. I have to go, if you don’t take me with you I will just follow behind.”Adel didn’t understand that Bray would never leave her on her own. It was something he was incapable of doing in the same way that he couldn’t abandon the search for the old woman. Not abandoning a person or a promise made, was ingrained in him through circumstance.“As you wish,” he said as he gathered up his pack, “but do as I say, and we will travel without talk until we are out of this cave.”They travelled silently and carefully for the first while until Bray was certain there were no more surprises waiting for them. Then they picked up the pace. As they walked, Bray wondered about the men who had abducted the older Adel. Releasing the dog into the cave was clearly an attempt to stop anyone from following them, but they had a substantial head start on any pursuers, so why go to the trouble. You don’t get a dog into the state that animal had been in by simply releasing it into a cave. Clearly the animal had been tortured and starved for some time before it was let loose. That suggested forethought, planning, and more time than was available after the abduction itself. Furthermore, it suggested more men than had been so far identified. While three men had been involved in the abduction there had to be more dealing with the dog. That was the only way the timing worked. How many men he would be dealing with was unclear, but the fact that they would be close by was obvious. The attempt to stop the pursuers suggested that. You don’t go to that bother if you are planning on putting great distance between you and your pursuers.***Wolf Blackheart stood at the side of the trail and watched his men trudge by. He had five men in the lead, followed by the cart containing their food supplies and the old woman. The donkey pulling the cart was moving well, and the ten men bringing up the rear were keeping up — no stragglers — they would make his planned distance easily before dusk. Another half day tomorrow would see them to their destination. Then the fun would begin. Blackheart had to admit he was looking forward to the fun. He liked to kill. It made him smile. They had given him the name Blackheart for a reason, and he had kept the name because he felt it suited him. He had other features that could have led to other names. He was a big, powerful, man. He was fast. He was handsome. He turned heads when he walked by. He was more intelligent than anyone else he had ever met. Any of those characteristics could have been adopted as a name, but the characteristic that stood out the most was his cruelty. Wolf felt that when his crimes eventually caught up with him, and they cut his heart out they would find it was black, devoid of light and goodness. Yes, the name Blackheart suited him.***Someone else felt the same way about the colour of Wolf’s heart. As the column of men moved off down the trail there was a twinkle of light beside a large oak tree, siting off by itself, overlooking the cliffs and the water. A figure seemed to step out of the trunk of the tree. It was short; coming to no more than a normal person’s chest in height, dressed in a long red coat that almost brushed the ground. On its head it wore a red cap from which strands of red hair were trying to escape. As the creature watched the column of men trudge away up the path it placed its hand on its hips. An action that pushed the coat open exposing soft green leather breeches tucked into red leather boots, and topped by a soft green silk blouse. The action also exposed the fact that the watcher was female and beautifully proportioned. Amadella had been sitting high in the oak tree enjoying the view when she had seen the caravan approach. Normally she would have ignored their passage, but something had drawn her attention. From her vantage point high in the tree she could discern a glow coming from the bed of the donkey cart. As the cart passed below her she made out a person, obviously a prisoner, within it. Although the dirty bandana over the eyes and mouth obscured the person’s appearance, the glow told Amadella the captive was an Adel. Now at the bottom of the tree, she lifted her hands, holding them cupped before her. Her lips moved as she spoke quietly, and finally she lifted her cupped hands to her face and blew into them. In the next instant there was a red breasted song bird resting their. Whispered instructions were given before the bird launched itself into the air. It was soon lost from sight. Amadella strolled off towards the cave to the village. Her people would be warned. She had other information to gather.***“It’s a cage,” Adel stated.“Yes it is,” Bray agreed.They had stopped a short distance from the mouth of the cave because something was not right. The sun light streaming into the cave was broken into rectangles where it illuminated the walls and floor. Bray had figured out what it was before Adel spoke, but had not bothered to explain it to her. He was more interested in what lay beyond the cage. Were the abductors still close? Were they carrying bows? Were they laying in ambush waiting for whoever came to the mouth of the cave? It would be a simple thing to shoot people as they attempted to squeeze between the stone and the cage if that was even possible. He held Adel back when she started forward.“Let us make sure no one is waiting out there.”“Why would they wait around?”“Why use the dog?” was Bray’s response.Adel considered this, but moved on to a question of her own.“How will we know if someone is out there waiting?”“By using our senses,” Bray answered as he crept forward and took up a safe position just out of sight of any possible observers.He motioned Adel to silence then stood quietly observing the landscape beyond. He stood motionless for as long as it would take a large cooking pot of water to boil on a good fire. Although his eyes roamed back and forth across the area he was not expecting to see someone hiding in the underbrush or amongst the trees. Instead he watched for movement, watched for animals suddenly startled, listened for unnatural sounds, or the lack of natural sounds. He detected nothing inapposite.Adel was concentrating so hard that Bray’s sudden movement forward startled her. She made a small sound in her throat, and then embarrassed she snuck a look at Bray. He didn’t react. He simply continued closer to the cage, presumably to examine it.“Do you think we will be able to move it?” she asked.“It appears that they have jammed a log between the back of the cage and the dirt wall, so I don’t think it will move easily.” With that he proceeded to shake and heave the cage. Adel couldn’t help but notice the muscles of his arms as they bulged. He was able to move the cage slightly to the sides, but unable to move it back from the mouth of the cave. He tried to lift it, but realized that the cage sat slightly under the cave’s roof making it impossible to lift without moving it backwards first. The gully leading to the cave made it impossible to move the cage sideways for more than a hand span or two.The cage was made of thin metal straps interwoven vertically and horizontally. Its rough construction left different sized openings all around. The weave on the back wall was tighter than that on the side walls, but both left openings too small for him to fit through. The weave on the roof was looser than that on the walls, with larger openings, but still too small for him to squeeze through . . . although.“Do you think you could squeeze through those openings if I lifted you up?” he asked Adel, indicating the cage roof.She considered the possibility, tilting her head first one way then the other before she answered, pointing to an opening in the second row from the back edge. “I think that is the largest. I can try.”Adel dropped her small pack, and positioned herself below the opening before she lifted her arms above her head. The top of the cage was at her wrists with her arms stretched up like that. Bray squatted behind her, placed his hands — palm side up — beside her feet, and then had her step onto them..“Here we go,” he announced as he started to lift.Adel was as light as her slim build suggested.  Her body rose up through the opening until it stuck with both arms and her head part way through. Bray lowered her back down, and they tried it again with one arm raised and the other not. She was able to squeeze through that way. She had to wiggle a bit to get her hips and behind through but she made it without many scrapes. She stepped off of Brays raised hands onto the top of the cage, and then climbed down the back wall. Bray passed their packs out to her.Adel was digging away at the place the log was jammed into the dirt wall while Bray tried to force his end up and away from the cave when they heard the sound of a throat being cleared.Bray was probably more startled than Adel because he hadn’t heard anyone approaching. He was even more startled when the person suddenly appeared at the mouth of the gully and started walking towards them. She, most definitely a she, was one of the little people, probably a Far Darrig in his opinion, although the tales usually referred to them as male, but if there are males then there are probably females also he reasoned. She was dressed predominately in red with flashes of green showing here and there. She wouldn’t have been much taller than a child, and judging from the way his body was reacting to her she had some Siren blood in her ancestry.“I have to talk with you, Adel, but I am judging that you want to free your friend first. Am I correct?”Adel seemed to shrink away from the creature as it approached, but then she steeled herself, stood straighter, and answered. “Your help would be greatly appreciated, but you mustn’t get your beautiful cloths dirty. I can finish digging this out.”A laugh like the tinkle of bells escaped from the woman’s smile. “Oh, how sweet, I was told you were a darling, and now I see for myself, but not to worry I will not be digging.” With that she made a sweeping hand motion. The log dissolved into smoke, and floated away on the breeze.“Now come, my dear, let us find the sun again and have a talk,” she announced as she took Adel’s hand to lead her away.“But my friend is still stuck.”“I am sure your friend can free himself now. He looks quite competent, and we should talk privately. What I have to tell you is for Adel ears only. It would be —.” her voice faded away as they both disappeared up the gully and over the rim.
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